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"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that they defend."
-J. R. R. Tolkien
"Aiyana, wake up," Grace shook my shoulders and I groaned, pulling the covers over my head. "Come on, let's go," Grace pulled the blanket off of my body and I let out an ungodly screech.
"Oh, sweet Jesus, it's cold," and then, in a blinding flash, I remembered what had happened last night. "What time is it?"
Grace laughed as I jumped out of bed and pulled on an old tee and some shorts, "Don't worry, it's only 8," She watched me with warm eyes, "Jake is eating some eggs and then he'll be getting back into the link, too." Thank goodness, he hadn't left without me.
"Alright, thanks," I gave Grace a grateful smile and made my way over to the link, "Tell him that I'll see him soon." The pod was cold against my skin, but the shiver that traveled down my spine was not from the temperature. With a small breath, I closed my eyes and traveled through the link.
I kept my eyes closed when I came to in my Avatar body. The soft grass of the valley brushed against my skin and birds sang songs of joy in the distance. We were still in the valley, much to my delight, and Tsu'tey's arms were draped lazily around my waist. His scent filled my head and I wanted to live in this moment forever. But alas, forever is an impossible thing to accomplish.
When I opened my eyes, Tsu'tey was awake. "Good morning," He smiled sleepily. He closed his eyes but sat up quickly seconds later, jostling and throwing me from his chest. "I must go back to Hometree. Mo'at will be expecting me. Come, we must go." He stood and grabbed my hand, though I had no idea what was going on.
"Slow down," I huffed in annoyance as he dragged me down the path we had come from last night. Tsu'tey smiled back at me, though the stern look that normally occupied his face had returned, but he did not slow down.
When we returned, the peace we had left last night was gone. Instead, there was complete chaos. People ran back and forth, desperation clear in their faces. At the center of this mob was Mo'at. "Neytiri didn't return last night," Mo'at approached Tsu'tey as soon as she saw him and she didn't seem to notice that our hands were intertwined as she pulled him away from me. "I haven't seen her since the celebrations last night." Tsu'tey gave me a soft smile before asking questions of his own and following her away.
My mind flashed to Jake. He had seemed so happy this morning and I had no doubt that Neytiri had been the cause. My mind battled with my heart, but I couldn't tell Tsu'tey what I knew, not without getting the two of them into trouble. The only plausible answer that came to mind was to sit it out.
